Weight-motor for gas-machines.



N0. 703,071. Ptented June 24, I902.

w. n. LUCE.

WEIGHT MOTOR FOR GAS MACHINES.

(Application filed Mar. 25, 1901.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

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Patented June 24, I902.

No. 703,07l.

W. D. LUBE.

WEIGHT MOTOR FOR GAS MACHINES.

(Application filed Mar. 25, 1901.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM D. LUCE, OF IIAVERHILL, MASSACHUSETTS.

WEIGHT-MOTOR FOR GAS-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 703,071, dated June 24,1902.

Application filed March 25, 1901. Serial No, 52,691. (No modelfi T0 aZZwhom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM D. Loon, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Haverhill, in the county of Essex and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inWeight-Motors for Gas-Machines, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates particularly to a weight-motor for lifting thebell of a gas-machine according to the requirements of the latter, sothat after the apparatus has been wound up the machine will continue inoperation without attention for any desired length of time withinreasonable limits.

The object of my invention is to produce a simple and efiicientapparatus which will liberate a weight at suitable intervals and therebycause the same to lift the bell of a gasmachine to a predeterminedheight at corresponding intervals, the apparatus being adapted toliberate the bell, so that it may sink as soon as it has been lifted tothe desired height. I accomplish this object by the apparatusillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a sideelevation of the entire apparatus. Fig. 2 is a view of the right-handend of the releasing mechanism. Fig. 3 is a front view thereof, partlyin section, on line .r m of Fig. 1. Figs. 4and 5 are views of theleft-hand end thereof,showing two positions. Fig. 6 is a detail View ofthe upper side of one of the pawls.

In Fig. 1 I show in a general way a wellknown form of gas-machine, whichconsists of a generating-tank 1 and a holding-tank 2, and each tank isprovided with a suitable weighted bell or inverted cup 3 and 4,respectively, and is partially filledwith water to form the usual waterseal. Tank 1 is provided with an air inlet-pipe 5, having aninwardly-openin g check-valve therein. A suitable pipe 6, having acheck-valve 7 therein, connects said bells, said check-valve 7permitting a free flow of gas from bell 3 to bell 4. Bell 4 is providedwith a discharge-pipe 8, which is connected to the distributing system.The operation of this machine is as follows: The lower end of bell 3 isprovided with a basket a, containing zinc, and tank 1 is provided with achamber 7), containing sulfuric acid, so arranged that when bell 3 sinksto nearly its lowest point the zinc will be submerged in the acid,andhydrogen gas will thus be generated in the bell. The bell 3 is thenimmediately lifted, stopping further generation of the hydrogen anddrawing in atmospheric air through pipe 5, so that the two gases willbecome mixed in said bell 3. Tank 2 is provided with a chamber 0,containing a suitable hydrocarbon, so that when bell 3 is released itsweight will force the mixed air and hydrogen through pipe 6, pastcheckvalve 7, into the bell or holder 4, where it is charged withhydrocarbon vapor, which escapes from chamber 0. The gas which is thusmanufactured is then discharged into the dis tributing system in theusual manner.

In order that hell 3 may be automatically lifted by a weight after ithas sunk to its lowest point and then be released and force the mixedair and hydrogen into tank 2, I provide the apparatus hereinafterdescribed.

The drum 9 of a Windlass is secured to shaft 10, which is journaled inbearings 11, they being secured to suitable supports 12. A wheel 13 isjournaled on said shaft 10 and is provided with a spring-pressed pawl14, which engages a series of ratchet-teeth 15 on said drum. A cable 16is secured to said drum,

passes up over pulleys 17 and 18, and has a weight 19 secured to itsend. One end of said shaft 10 is made square, so that a handle forturning the drum may be applied thereto. Said wheel 13 is provided witha notch or single ratchet-tooth 20, and a pawl 21 is pivoted at one endto a fixed bracket 22 in such a position that it may engage said notchand hold the wheel against rotating in a direction to unwind the cable16 from the drum 9. Bracket 22 is preferably made of a stiff spring, forreasons which will hereinafter appear. A drum 23 is journaled on shaft10 next to wheel 13, said drum 23 being provided with a cable-groove 24and a single ratchet tooth or notch 25. An angular-shaped pawl 26,having a lateral projection 27, is pivoted to one side of wheel 13 insuch a position that it may engage said notch 25. Atripping-finger 28 issecured to bracket 11 in such a position that it may engage saidprojection 27 of pawl 26 in certain positions of the latter.

A lever 29 is pivoted on a standard 30, and

a cable 31 is secured to the top of bell 3 and to one end of said lever29. A cable 32 is secured to the opposite end of said lever and to thedrum 23 in its groove 24. A light cable 33 is also secured to the sameend of lever 29 as that to which cable 32 is secured and to the outerend of said pawl 21.

The operation of the parts thus far described is as follows: The wheel13 is fixed so thatits notch 20 is engaged by the pawl 21, as shown inFig. 1. The drum 9 is then rotated, winding on the cable 16 and liftingthe weight 19, the pawl 14 permitting rotation of drum 9, so as to Windon the cable without rotating wheel 13. When the weight has been raisedto the desired height, the pawl 14 will lock with its ratchet 15 andwill hold wheel 13 against rotation in the direction which will unwindthe cable 16 from drum 9. The weight 19 will therefore be held in itsraised position by pawl 21. The lengths of cables 32 and 33 are suchthat when the bell 3 has nearly reached its lowest position the cable 33will be drawn taut and the cable 32 will be almost completely unwoundfrom drum 23, rotating the latter on shaft 10, so that its notch 25 willbe slightly in front of the end of pawl 26 and in position to beimmediately engaged thereby should the pawl 26 be moved forward. Uponthe bell 3 being, lowered slightly farther, the pawl 21 will be liftedout of engagement with notch 20, permitting'the weight 19 to rotate thedrum 9 and wheel 13 in the direction of the arrows in Fig. 4. The pawl26 willimmediately come into engagement with notch 25, (see Fig. 4,) sothat parts 9, 13, and 23 will all be locked and will rotate forwardtogether, winding the cable 32 upon the drum 23, lifting the hell 3 upto the dotted position shown in Fig. 1. The circumference of the drum 23in its groove 24 is such that when said drum has made one rotation thebell 3 will have been lifted to the desired height. As the wheel 13approaches the original position (shown in Fig. 1) the finger 28 willengage the under side of projection 27 on pawl 26, lifting the latterout of engagementrwith notch 25, as shown in Fig. 5, so that drum 23 isfree to rotate backwardly in the direction of the inner arrow in Fig. 5,thus permitting the hell 3 to sink. The position of finger 28 is suchthat it will lift pawl 26 just before pawl 21 comes into engagement withnotch 20, (see Fig. 5,) so that immediately after drum 23 isdisconnected from wheel 13 said pawl 21 and tooth 20 will engage,preventing the cable 16 from unwindingfurther. Thespring-bracket 22takes up the force of the blow of tooth 20 as it strikes pawl 21,avoiding the liability of breaking the parts. The hell 3 will then sinkslowly, forcing the air and hydrogen therein into tank 2, and the partsfinally all return to the position shown in Fig. 1, after which theoperation will be repeated.

The speed at which bell 3 will be lifted depends on the size of theair-passage 5, a partial vacuum being formed in the bell as soon as ithas been raised a short distance. The bell 3 will therefore be lifted ashort distance with a jerk upon the release of wheel 13 unless somemeans is provided which will prevent the too-rapid movement of the partsuntil this partial vacuum has had opportunity to form. I thereforeprovide wheel 13 with a projection 34, which is curved on its face tocorrespond with an are drawn from the center of shaft 10 and secure abrake-spring 35 at the end of support 12, so that its middle portion maybear against the projection 34 in certain positions of the latter. Abolt 36 is secured in support 12, and a nut 37 on said bolt is adaptedto press said spring against said projection and give it the desiredtension. These parts 3 1 and 35 are arranged so that the projection willcomeinto engagement with the spring just before the pawl 21 looks thewheel 13. (See Fig. 5.) WVhen the pawl 21 is lifted, the spring 35 willretard the rapid rotation of the wheel 13 until a partial Vacuum isformed in the hell 3, which will be sufficient to prevent the too-rapidmovement of the bell. WVheu the bell 3 reaches its highest point, thispartial vacuum willbe retained unless some means are taken to preventit, so that the atmospheric pressure on the top of the bell, combinedwith the weight thereon, will cause the bell to drop back suddenly intothe water seal of tank 1 when the drum 23 is liberated, splashing thewater out into the room in which the tank is located. To obviate thisobjection, I provide a by-pass 38 around the check-valve 7 and locate avalve 39 in said by-pass, which is adapted to permit a return flow aboutsaid check-valve. Said valve 39 is provided with an elongatedsuitably-guided stem 40, which carries an arm 41, the latter beingadjustably secured to the upper end thereof. The position of said arm 41is adjusted so that when the bell 3 has been lifted nearly to itshighest point its upper end will engage said arm and open said valve 39,so that a free flow of gas is permitted from tank 2 to tank 1, restoringthe pressure inside the bell 3 to such an extent that when the bell isliberated it will simply drop back a short distance without anysplashing, forcing back the gas into tank 2 and slightly compressing thegas in bell 3.

It is very desirable that the enlargement 31 on wheel 13 be ofsufficient length to engage the brake-spring 35 for a short distancebefore wheel 13 is brought to rest; otherwise the equalization of thepressure in the bells at the last part of the upward movement of bell 3will permit it to be lifted too rapidly and cause the tooth 20 of thewheel 13 to engage the pawl 21 with too much force. Such a suddenstoppage would be liable to break the engaging parts or prevent the pawlfrom holding the wheel.

From the foregoing description it will be evident that although theabove-described controlling apparatus may be used in connection with agas-machine of the character referred to with particular advantage, yetit is capable of use in many other relations, which need not be hereenumerated.

The various changes may be made without departing from the spirit of myinvention. For example, a spring similar to an ordinary clock-spring maybe substituted for the winding-drum 9, weight 19, and connecting-cable.The means for supplying gas to the hell 3 at the end of its upwardmovement are only shown in a general way, and various other means whichwill accomplish the same result may be substituted with equal advantage,and the pressure in the bell 3 may be increased by introducing outsideair instead of drawing it from the holder, although I consider thelatter method preferable.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States, is as follows:

1. A gas-machine having a water-sealed bell, means for raising andlowering said bell comprising a shaft, means which act to rotate thesame in one direction, a locking means for said shaft which is adaptedto prevent rotation thereof, means for automatically causing saidlocking means to release said shaft when the bell sinks to apredeterminedlevel so that the shaft is permitted to rotate, means forautomatically connecting said shaft to said bell as it is rotated, andmeans for automatically disconnecting said shaft from said bell when thelatter has been lifted to a predetermined height, so that it ispermitted to sink, said locking means being adapted to again lock saidshaft when the bellis liberated.

2. A gas-machine having a water-sealed bell, means for raising andlowering said bell comprising a shaft, means which act to rotate thesame in one direction, a locking means for said shaft which is adaptedto prevent rotation thereof, a winding drum which is adapted to rotatefreely in both directions,con nections between said drum and bellwhereby the latter will be lifted when the former is rotated in onedirection, means for automatically causing said locking means to releasesaid shaft when said bell is lowered to a predetermined point, means forautomatically connecting said shaft to said drum so that the drum willbe rotated by the shaft and will lift said bell, means for automaticallydisconnecting said shaft and drum when the bell has been lifted to apredetermined height, so that the drum may rotate in the oppositedirection and permit said bell to sink, said lock ing means beingadapted to relock the shaft when the latter is disconnected from saiddrum.

3. In combination with the cup or hell of a gas-machine which is adaptedto draw in and discharge gas as it is raised and lowered, means forraising and lowering said cup, comprising a shaft, means which act torotate the same, a wheel which is connected to said shaft, a singleratchet-tooth thereon, a pawl which is pivoted to a fixed support and isadapted to engage said tooth and hold said shaft against rotation, awinding-drum which is journaled on said shaft, a pawl which is pivotedon said wheel and is adapted to engage said winding-drum so as to locksaid shaft and drum together when said shaft is rotated, a cableconnecting said drum and cup, means for lifting the pawl first namedwhen said cup is at a predetermined point, permitting said shaft torotate and lift said cup, and a fixed finger which is adapted to engagesaid second-named pawl and lift the same out of engagement with saiddrum when the latter has nearlymade one complete rotation, saidfirst-named pawl being liberated so that it may engage the tooth of saidwheel and lock said shaft immediately after said windingdrum isdisconnected therefrom.-

at. In combination with a cup or bell of a gas-machine which is adaptedto draw in and discharge gas as it is raised and lowered,means forraising and lowering said cup, comprising a shaft, means which act torotate the same, a locking device which is adapted to prevent rotationof said shaft, a drum which is adapted to rotate on said shaft, meansfor automatically connecting said shaft and drum when the shaft isrotated, connections beween said cup and drum which are adapted to liftthe cup when the drum is rotated, means for releasing said shaft whensaid cup sinks to a certain position, whereby the latter may be lifted,means for disconnecting said shaft and drum when they have made nearlyone complete rotation, said locking device being adapted to lock saidshaft when it has completed its rotation.

5. An apparatus of the'character described comprising a shaft, meanswhich act to rotate the same in one direction, means for locking saidshaft against rotation, an inverted cup, means for causing the same todraw in and discharge gas when it is raised and lowered, connectionsbetween said shaft and cup whereby the cup will be lifted when saidshaft is permitted to rotate, and a brake which is adapted to retard therotation of said shaft during the first part of its rotation after it isunlocked.

6. An apparatus of the character described comprising an inverted cup,means for causing the same to draw in and discharge gas when it israised and lowered, a shaft, means which act to rotate the same in onedirection, means for locking said shaft against rotation and forunlocking the same when said cup reaches a predetermined position, asegmental projection which is concentric with said shaft and connectedthereto, and a brake which is in position to engage said projectionimmediately upon the unlocking of said shaft whereby the speed ofrotation of said shaft may be retarded during the initial part thereof.

7. A gas-machine comprising a tank containing a liquid, an inverted cupwhich is suspended therein, means for lifting said cup so as to draw agas therein at a predetermined rate, means for admitting an additionalflow of gas into said cup as it finishes its upward movement, and meansfor permitting said cup to sink into said tank immediately thereafter.

8. A gas-machine comprising a tank containing a suitable liquid, aninverted cup which is suspended therein, lifting means for said cup,means for controlling said lifting means so that the latter may act tolift said cup and permit the same to sink into said tank underpredetermined conditions, means for permitting said cup to draw in a gasat a predetermined rate as it is lifted, and means for permitting anadditional flow of gas into said cup as it finishes its upward movement.

9. A gas-machine comprising a tank containing a liquid, an inverted cupwhich is'suspended therein, lifting means for said cup,

means for controlling said lifting means so that the latter may act tolift said cup and permit the same to sink into said tank underpredetermined conditions, means for permitting said cup to draw in a gasat a predetermined rate as it is lifted, a gas-holder, a passageconnecting said cup and holder having a check-valve which is arranged toprevent a return flow from said holder to said cup, a by-pass about saidcheck-valve having a normally closed valve therein, and means foropening said by-pass valve which are adapted to be operated by said cupas it finishes its upward movement.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

WILLIAM D. LUCE.

Witnesses:

LOUIS H. HARRIMAN, J OHN F. NEAL.

